Activation Policies for the Poor in OIC Member States

The following table presents key labour and poverty statistics for the country

Table 5: Key Labour and Poverty Statistics for the Country

Unemployment rate

Percentage of workers

working

the

informal sector

Under-employment

rate

Poverty rate

3.8% (2012)

90.5% (2010)

70.6% (2010)

39.9% (2007)

Working poverty rate

Average salary

Average consumption

Average

hours

worked per week

38.3% (2007)

Unavailable, but 70.3%

of workers earn less

than the minimum wage

439,787 CFAF per year

(US$841)

Source: SESRIC, ECAM 3 & INS

In Cameroon, poverty and employment indicators vary significantly between urban and rural

areas.

Unemployment is higher in the large urban centres of Yaoundé and Douala, which had

unemployment rates of 16.2% in 2007 according to the Cameroon Household Survey, ECAM 3.

The

average unemployment rate in rural areas was just 1.4%. Male and female unemployment rates also

indicate that female workers are more affected by unemployment in urban areas. Each urban area

reported on in ECAM 3 indicated a higher unemployment rate for female workers, with an average

female unemployment rate of 18%, compared to an average male unemployment rate of 7.8% in

urban areas. Unemployment in rural areas does not appear to affect female workers in particular.

The female unemployment rate in rural areas is only slightly higher than the male unemployment

rate, at 1.6% compared to 1.3%.

Poverty is largely concentrated in rural areas. ECAM 3 estimated that 39.9% of the Cameroonian

population lived in poverty in 2007, with 55% of the poor population living in rural areas. There was

little change in the poverty rate between 2001 and 2007 (the poverty rate was 40.2% in 2001). This

is despite the reduction of extreme poverty and hunger being on the country’s Millennium

Development Goals and regardless of the 13 point drop in poverty between 1996 and 2001. Due to

the relatively stable poverty rate between 2001 and 2007 being coupled with a population growth

rate, the absolute number of individuals living in poverty in Cameroon during this time increased.

Cameroon has a large rural population, at 46.75% of the total population in 2013 and agriculture

continues to employ the majority of the labour force (53.3% in 2010).

Agricultural work is carried

out by poor households in particular. In 2007, 90.7% of poor households carried out some form of

agricultural activity, versus 52.6% of non-poor households.

Although Cameroon is rich in natural

Note: The statistics available in Cameroon are not always highly accurate. There are capacity gaps in gathering data and these are

exacerbated by the difficulties in assessing the number of individuals who work in the informal sector or who have multiple jobs.

Certain indicators are also unlikely to provide an accurate picture of poverty levels. Salaries, for example, are a poor indicator due to

the multiple income streams workers may have. The definitions of indicators must also be carefully considered. For example, there

are difficulties defining the term ‘unemployment’ in Cameroon, as individuals who are unemployed are unlikely not to be carrying

out any form of economic activity.

Note: A Cameroon Household Survey (ECAM) was carried out, in 1996, 2001 and 2007. The latest survey, ECAM 4, is currently

being carried out to determine the change in poverty indicators between 2007 and 2013. However, the survey is not due to be

published until 2015. The National Institute of Statistics (INS) is responsible for carrying out ECAM as well as the collection of other

economic and social statistics. In order to analyse the labour market statistics produced by INS and deliver projections, a National

Observatory for Employment and Vocational Training (ONEFOP) was created under the Ministry of Employment and Vocational

Training.

INS,

Conditions de vie des populations et profil de pauvreté au Cameroun en 2007: rapport principal de l’ECAM 3

, December 2008

SESRIC

INS